TV & Film
Happy Valley fans spot ‘unrealistic’ plot details in explosive finale
Spoiler alert!
As Happy Valley fans tuned in on Sunday evening to watch the last ever episode of the gripping show, some viewers pointed out ‘unrealistic’ plot details that went amiss.
As the BBC crime drama aired for the final time after nine years and three seasons, viewers across the nation were so gripped to the edge of their sofas when 9pm came around on February 5th, many failed to realise a few ‘convenient errors’ along the way.
They watched on as convicted criminal Tommy Lee Royce, played by James Norton, broke into Sergeant Catherine Cawood’s home, played by Sarah Lancashire, while she was sleeping on her sofa. But she woke up and left only to return later, while he was still there.
As fans prepared to bid farewell to tough, witty, no-nonsense copper Sergeant Cawood, and her evil nemesis Royce, the pair had one final stand-off in her kitchen. In a gripping scene, millions of viewers had been waiting for, the two traded insults and emotional home truths in an incredibly tense final meeting.
Royce, bleeding out, was left weak and unable to attack his arch-enemy as he had done in the past, eventually setting himself on fire.
In the end, Cawood came out of her house alive saying ‘We had another bit of a tussle. I won’, on her last shift before her retirement. She left Tommy after she put him out with Claire’s blanket saying: “I think I may have singed one of your crochet blankets.”
But Royce’s journey from being on the run and ending up at Cawood’s, was not as plain sailing as it had started when he broke free from custody while on trial in court, to cycling past racing police cars, and smiling to himself as he planned to take his biological son Ryan away to Benidorm.
He ended up having to kill his former allies thanks to a well-placed rock during a showdown in a field – something that didn’t go unnoticed by viewers.
Taking to the keyboard, one viewer wrote: “Watch out for the convenient rock!! #HappyValley.” Another typed: “Ahh yes, the convenient rock in that empty grass field. Ultimate murder weapon #HappyValley.” And, a third tweeted: “Funny how there always seems to be a handy rock.#HappyValley.”
“How lucky it was for Tommy that there happened to be a convenience rock nearby, followed by an even bigger convenience rock to finish the job! #HappyValley,” was another of the many tweets about the handy rock read on Sunday night.
But the well-placed murder weapon wasn’t the only ‘convenient’ detail Happy Valley fans spotted – with many questioning why police weren’t watching Catherine’s house.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Dan Walker shouted: “WHY ARE THE POLICE NOT WATCHING THE HOUSE? (I know it’s only a TV show & sorry for shouting) #HappyValley.”
Another typed: “Maybe the police should watch Catherine’s house? Just a thought. #HappyValley.” Another declared: “Ignoring the fact her house would have been under police guard #DramaticLicence #HappyValley.”
The final scenes of the gripping finale was filled with humourous exchanges and heartwarming moments, with viewers praising the show’s creator Sally Wainwright for the realistic elements.
“This argument between catherine and tommy is so f***ing funny #HappyValley,” one fan posted online as Catherine and Tommy traded insults.
“I’m obsessed with Tommy and his sassy responses #HappyValley,” another added, with one more delighted viewer gushing: “Sally Wainwright is a master storyteller. This finale is more set in reality than some over the top finales that are total fantasy #HappyValley.”
TV & Film
Netflix launch first trailer for new Harlan Coben thriller with Michelle Keegan
Can’t wait to watch this!
The official trailer for the new crime thriller from Harlan Coben has landed on Netflix and it looks incredible.
Fool Me Once, the eighth adaptation of the author’s novels, will arrive on TV screens on New Year’s Day, ready for viewers to hibernate and enjoy a binge fest after a hectic party season.
The new series follows the success of its predecessors including Safe, Stay Close, and The Stranger and is expected to be yet another suspenseful hit to add to the collection.
The cast sees the familiar face of fellow Mancunian Michelle Keegan (Coronation Street, Our Girl and Brassic), as well as Richard Armitage, Adeel Akhtar, and Joanna Lumley – some of whom are Coben thriller veterans.
The plot follows Maya Stern, played by Keegan, a former special ops pilot who’s struggling to come to terms with the tragic murder of her husband, Joe, played by Armitage.
But after installing a nanny-cam to watch over her daughter, Maya sees a man in her house she recognises – her dead husband.
Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce is leading the homicide investigation into Joe’s death, whilst also battling secrets of his own.
Meanwhile, Maya’s niece and nephew are dealing with their own mother’s murder, which occurred a few months earlier, and they’re on the hunt for answers – could the two cases be connected?
Coben, who is executive producer on the series and has seen a number of his works adapted for the streaming service in the past, said: “I’m thrilled and honoured to once again be collaborating with my uber-talented partners.
“Fool Me Once will be our fourth Netflix series together, and man, it never gets old! Fool Me Once is a pulse-pounder – a shocking story of how secrets and deceit have the power to bring people together while simultaneously tearing them apart. I can’t wait to see how this dream cast brings these characters to life.”
Danny Brocklehurst, who has written and directed the series adaptation, said: “Following on from our smash hits The Stranger and Stay Close, Fool Me Once does not disappoint.
“Harlan’s books are storytelling genius and it’s great to be entrusted once more in bringing his gripping stories of life. As always with our thrillers, expect twist upon twist and an emotional roller-coaster. Plus, the cast is phenomenal – audiences are in for a treat!”
Fool Me Once will be released on Netflix on January 1st, 2024 at 8am.
The BBC has confirmed the launch date for the second series of the reality game show The Traitors.
Fans of the show will be pleased to hear the nail-biting reality game show set in the Scottish Highlands and hosted by Claudia Winkleman is set to land on TV screens very soon.
The tense game sees 22 strangers move into a castle to play the ‘ultimate game of detection, backstabbing and trust’ by completing a series of challenges together as a team in the hope of winning up to £120,000.
Among the ‘Faithful’ contestants are ‘Traitors’ hiding in plain sight secretly looking to sabotage the game and eliminate their fellow players one by one.
And the good news is fans don’t have much longer to wait for the new series, with the BBC announcing the hugely anticipated show will launch on Wednesday, January 3rd at 9.00pm on BBC One and iPlayer. Episodes will air weekly on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights.
Confirming the news on Twitter, the BBC tweeted alongside a sneak peek trailer: “#TheTraitors Series 2, coming to #BBCOne & #iPlayer on 3 Jan 2023.”
Episodes two and three will be available to watch on iPlayer immediately after and the show will air on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights. The contestants are yet to be announced, but according to the BBC, ‘all will be revealed in due course…’.
The broadcaster has also confirmed that we can expect a third season in the future, with casting now open for anyone who thinks they’ve got what it takes to deceive their fellow contestants and claim the winning prize. To apply click HERE.
The debut series had us all hooked when it landed on screens last year. Since then The Traitors has scooped a host of awards including a Bafta TV Award for best reality and constructed factual, and a National Television Award for best reality competition.
It also won the Royal Television Society (RTS) award for entertainment as well as the Broadcasting Press Guild Award for best entertainment programme.
With series two dropping soon and casting open for a third instalment, the BBC website says about the show: “The Traitors is a competition series built on strategy and suspicion, filmed in the Scottish Highlands. A team of players will compete in a series of missions, the more missions they win, the bigger the prize pot.
“However, amongst the players lie the ‘Traitors’. The Traitors will meet in secret and decide who to eliminate from their fellow players known as the ‘Faithfuls’.
“The aim for the Traitors is to stay undetected until the end, the aim for the Faithful is the banish all of the Traitors before the game ends. Throughout the series, there will be twists, turns, shocks and surprises for the players.
“A game of trust and treachery… do you have what it takes to play?”
Taking to Instagram to share the announcement with her followers, host Claudia Winkleman teased: “Watch your back. The Traitors starts 9pm on January 3rd, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer (everything crossed you like it).”
Fans went wild and jumped in the comments section with one person typing: “I’m so ready to make this my whole personality once again.”
Another wrote: “Yasssss! I can’t wait.” And a third tagged their mate saying: “We need to watch this together!!! Traitors sleepover pending?”
The Traitors series two will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9.00pm on January 3rd 2024.
Showbiz stars have called for viewers to boycott I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! after Nigel Farage joins the jungle camp line-up.
Fans have been left outraged after the official line-up for the hit ITV show was announced and included former UKIP member and controversial politician Nigel Farage.
To make matters worse, he’s set to be the highest paid person in the history of the show when he enters the camp.
The reality programme, which has been going since 2002, has been no stranger to controversy. Just last year, the public were left outraged that Conservative MP Matt Hancock was a contestant on the show after the scandal of MPs having parties during the Covid lockdowns.
The disgraced former Health Secretary joined the series after being sacked for breaking Covid restrictions. It was reported that he was paid £400,000 to be on the show.
This year’s line-up includes the sister of Brittany Spears, Jamie-Lynn Spears, This Morning presenter Jodie Gibson and First Dates’ star Fred Siriex.
In response to Farage joining the camp, a number of TV stars have called for a mass boycott of the show, which is due to air on November 19th.
Comedian Laura Hughes has spoken out to say that if she were included in the line-up, she would immediately quit the show and sue ITV.
She said: “If I went on I’m A Celebrity and found out I was on the show with Nigel Farage, I’d leave and sue for racial negligence… but that’s just me.
“I’d say that I’m quite shocked that ITV is platforming a racist as a form of entertainment, but nothing really surprises me anymore.”
Kathy Burke also didn’t mince her words as she said: “Quick, there’s another hate baiting c**t available.”
Journalist Bella Mackie took to Instagram to share that she would not be tuning in to watch the series. “He’s apparently being paid £1.5 million,” she said, before listing all the reprehensible comments Farage has made over the years.
She included him taking specific aim at Romanian people, people with HIV and the Aids virus, and saying women are ‘worth less’ to employers.
Calling for her followers to take action, she said: “I sincerely hope people don’t watch I’m A Celebrity if he’s on it this year. For real. How is this entertainment?”
Conservative MP Edwina Currie said last week that Farage’s involvement in I’m A Celebrity could change the face of politics forever.
Meanwhile, the show’s presenters Ant and Dec have been put under pressure by viewers and other celebrities to address the controversy of Farage’s appointment.
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